Google Pay

Google is rolling out three updates to Google Pay today that aim to streamline usage across the web and mobile experience, like showing your card benefits.

Following the recently rolled out verification change that requires more frequent authentication, Google Pay on Android has been tweaked with an “Open Wallet” shortcut.

At I/O 2022, Google announced the ability to mask your physical credit card with a virtual number, and Citi cards are now supported.

When Google Wallet launched in 2022, Google kept the “GPay” app around in a handful of countries. The company announced today that the old Google Pay app is soon going away in the US.

Besides in-store NFC payments, Google Pay exists on the web, as well as in Android apps, and the bottom sheet UI is now getting a Material 3 redesign.

Google Pay’s autofill experience in Chrome is set to get a big quality of life boost by better identifying your saved cards.

Following the Material You redesign, GPay is readying another change that consolidates the app to just two tabs in the bottom bar.

The GPay app, which was once the future of Google’s payments strategy, is still available for users in three countries and is getting some Material You tweaks.

After launching last year, Google Pay is making its first expansion with virtual cards as American Express cardholders can now use the feature on Chrome and Android.

In the US, the biggest banks already work together on Zelle money transfers, and now they’re planning a digital wallet to compete with the likes of Apple, PayPal, and Google.

While GPay is getting some Material You tweaks, the app is losing the ability to pay for parking and gas right from your phone in the US.

Enabling two-factor authentication for the vast majority of your online accounts is the bare minimum in this day and age. Google Pay will soon require 2FA (2SV) to “view any payment info.”

Google’s new Pixel 7 series brings back support for face unlock, but it comes with a slight compromise as it only works for unlocking the phone, not opening secure apps. But that hiccup is also leading to Google Pay transactions being declined when using the Pixel 7 unexpectedly.

This week Google Wallet officially rolled out to Android users just a couple of months after it was announced at I/O 2022. It represents a new focus for mobile payments on Android, and it’s great, if only because it’s exactly the opposite of the “GPay” disaster that preceded it.

As announced at I/O 2022 in May, Google Wallet is rolling out today as an update to the old Google Pay app (which has the multi-color ‘G’ and “Pay” on a white background).

At the end of June 2021, Google Pay gained the ability to save and display COVID-19 vaccination cards on Android. More countries and states are letting people add this “COVID Card” to their Android phones.

Google showed off its revival of Google Wallet this week at Google I/O, but the company isn’t yet done with Pay. In a developer session talking about what’s new in Google Pay, the company outlined a potential future feature where you’ll be shown which credit cards have the best rewards for your purchase.

After its previous payments push (which involved modernizing banking and making it mobile-friendly) ended, Google is back with something a bit more straightforward but equally ambitious. Google Wallet will replace the old Google Pay app installed on your phone, and — if the company gets its way — your physical wallet, too.

Google may be bringing back its classic “Wallet” name to be Android’s home for contactless payment cards and important passes.